Re: Apache and byteserving PDF files [Harvey Alcabes ]

[Brian Behlendorf <br...@hyperreal.com>]

Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 17:18:55 -0800
To: "Roy T. Fielding" <fi...@kiwi.ICS.UCI.EDU>
From: Harvey Alcabes <ha...@Adobe.COM>
Subject: Re: Apache and byteserving PDF files (fwd)
Cc: new-httpd@hyperreal.com, Alexei Kosut <ak...@nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us>,
        alam@Adobe.COM, pkoolish@Adobe.COM

>>I understand that you included some code in Apache 1.2b7 and later to
>>handle the byteserving (byte range serving) in a way that will work with
>>Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) 3.0 and our Acrobat Reader 3.0 ActiveX
>>control.  Do you do this only if the browser is MSIE 3.0 or if it is MSIE
>>3.0 OR LATER?
>
>"MSIE 3".

Am I correct in assuming that this includes both MSIE 3.0 and MSIE 3.01?


>
>>Since this problem may occur with later versions of MSIE 3.0 if the user
>>continues to use Acrobat Reader 3.0, I strongly urge you to do this if the
>>browser is MSIE 3.0 OR LATER.
>
>No thanks.  I strongly urge you to release a new version of your plug-in
>for MSIE before Microsoft finishes MSIE 4, because the old one won't work.
>I don't believe in sustaining protocol bugs forever.
>
> ...Roy T. Fielding
>    Department of Information & Computer Science    (fielding@ics.uci.edu)
>    University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3425    fax:+1(714)824-4056
>    http://www.ics.uci.edu/~fielding/


I understand your concerns.  By the time Microsoft finishes MSIE 4 we WILL
release a free Acrobat Reader 3.01 which will include a new version of our
ActiveX control for MSIE.

However, we've ALREADY distributed over 10 million copies of the Acrobat
Reader 3.0.  Many of the users who are using Acrobat Reader 3.0 may not
choose to download the new Acrobat Reader.

Webmasters who post PDF documents want to be able to post the documents for
access by all users WITHOUT caveats such as:

"This will not work with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later when used
with Acrobat Reader 3.0."

I am preparing to add Apache to our list of servers which support
byteserving (on http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/webserve.html ).  I
would like to announce that Apache 1.2 will support byteserving regardless
of browser and Acrobat Reader version .  However, if you plan on removing
Acrobat Reader 3.0 support when used with MSIE 4.0 or later, I feel obliged
to clearly state this on our site and thus recommend that Webmasters
posting PDF files either:
- use Apache 1.1.1 (along with our unsupported byteserving module),
- use a non-Appache server,
- or if they must use Apache 1.2, clearly explain to their users that the
server doesn't support the use of Acrobat 3.0 with MSIE 4.0 or later.

Is there any way we can avoid this awkward situation?

Thanks a lot.





--Harvey Alcabes
  Acrobat Product Marketing
  Adobe Systems, Inc.